David DeJesus: Good to have Zack

Royals outfielder marvels as Greinke's performances

The success that my teammate Zack Greinke has had this year really started at the end of last season.

He finished very strong last season. He's carrying over that success and building on it this year. He's just rolling out there. Hopefully, we can keep putting up some runs for him. When he's on the mound, we feel that, if we score two or three runs, he'll take care of the rest.

I've never seen any pitcher get off to the start Zack had this season. He was 6-0 right out of the gate with an ERA less than half a run per game. He pitched well in his first loss, too. He allowed one run and four hits over eight innings.

He just seems to keep us in every game, and that's all we can ask for.

What I really like about Zack as a pitcher is the way he really comes after the batters. He throws strikes and gets ahead of guys in the count. I don't even know how many pitches he has but he seems to be able to throw all of them for strikes. He keeps the game short.

We've always been teammates, so I haven't faced him. If I had to face Zack, I would just look for something middle, away and just try do my thing.

I can also see a Cy Young in Zack's future, especially if he keeps pitching the way he is this season. If he keeps learning and maturing as a pitcher, he'll be ranked up there and known as one of the top pitchers in the league. Hopefully, he just keeps working hard.

Another thing I like about Zack is that he just signed a long-term deal with the club. So hopefully, we'll be with this team for a long time, and I won't have to face him.

David DeJesus, who has played in Kansas City with All-Star pitcher Zack Greinke since 2004, leads the Royals with 41 RBIs going into the second half. Greinke represented the club at the 80th All-Star Game in St. Louis after posting a 10-5 record and a 2.12 ERA with two shutouts and 120 strikeouts in 18 first-half starts.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.